Love
by Rachel the Fiend Hunter
Summary: Shion speculates about why he'd gone back to live with Nezumi though he had the ability to live with his mother and newfound baby brother in No.6. He also discerns why he'd always end up back with Nezumi one way or the other, and makes his own admissions of his feelings.


Somethings in this world were difficult. Shion had come to grips with that, he'd had everything that he could want within his grasp and yet, found himself wanting more. Back at home with his mother was both a good and a bad thing. It was good, because he found himself back with her in his old life with another 'family member' in the mix. The baby he'd saved that Dogkeeper had given back to them. Bad because of the fact that his mind began to wander, he found himself having a harder time trying to slip back into his old life when he wanted to live elsewhere.

It wasn't that his mother was unwelcoming, that the baby made him in any sense of the word 'jealous'. He was glad that child had found a home with his mother, that she had renamed him as 'he couldn't have the same name as his big brother nor replace him.' That statement had brought a smile to his face, he couldn't help but to tell her something he knew could very well break her heart. That her baby boy whom she'd long awaited to come home, was leaving once again. With tears in her eyes, and a smile she reminded him to visit every now and again. _With _Rat.

A sudden pain brought him out of his thoughts as Shion rubbed his head, "Ouch. What was that for?" he asked, staring up at Nezumi.

"You were sitting still and zoning out. I couldn't tell if you were having a seizure or plotting to kill me." Nezumi semi-smiled "Miss your mommy already?" he teased, "Or is it your 'son' you miss most?"

"He's not my son!" Shion argued with Nezumi, "I just..saved him from that raid is all. I was also thinking about a few things, while I do miss my mother I can go and visit her whenever I want."

"'But'?" Nezumi asked, "It seems like you wanted to say a bit more." he commented, looking to one of his rats which one was this? Moonlight? Cravat? Hamlet? Either way it was the brown one and had brought a note for him to read.

"I missed living with Nezumi more than anything." Shion admitted, "To the point where I couldn't think of anything else." he didn't know how else to say it.

"That's a pretty big confession right there." Nezumi stared at Shion, "Are you hitting on me?"

"What do you have there?" Shion asked, pointing to the paper Nezumi was unfolding.

"You kinda avoided the question." Nezumi pointed out, reading the note momentarily.

"So did you." Shion sighed, smiling "Maybe."

"Your mother invited us to dinner tonight." Nezumi showed him the paper, "Really? How bold of you. When did you get lewd?" he chuckled.

"Maybe you're starting to rub off on me." Shion shrugged, "Do you want to go?"

"I'd like to meet the woman who spawned the brat I now have to allow live with me out of obligatory 'guilt'." Nezumi nodded.

"Hey!" Shion frowned, "If I'm such a burden then I'll go."

"I could only be so lucky. Next thing I know you'll be on my doorstep, or sleeping outside my door waiting for me to get out with your tail wagging." Nezumi laid back on the bed, shutting his eyes for the moment.

"I don't have a tail." Shion enjoyed 'bickering' with Nezumi, it had become the new norm for them. Neither of them meant a word of what they said, but to anyone else it could be perceived as them 'at each others throats'. "And you _wouldn't _let me sleep outside on the floor, either."

"Is that really what you think?" Nezumi asked, looking over at the white haired boy.

"It is." Shion nodded confidently.

Nezumi snorted, "Brat." he smiled, Shion had gradually worn him down, stripped him bare of all the qualities that once made him_, him_. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it was also a strange thing to care for someone. Outside of Shion he didn't have anyone like that, the motto was 'better you die than I' until Shion had come along.

"Now who's daydreaming!?" Shion flicked him gently on the forehead, smiling.

"You wanna die?" Nezumi asked, "Try hit me again- I dare you."

Shion went to flick him again, only for his wrist to be jerked in the opposite direction, he was pulled onto the bed, both arms tucked in themselves while Nezumi sat on top of him. "Amazing!" Shion praised, he was always amazed at the many different ways Nezumi could disarm an opponent or completely take them down with little to no effort at all. Maybe he just made it look effortless to show off, or maybe he was just that practiced in fighting others.

"I could kill you in several different ways and all you have to say is 'amazing'?" Nezumi asked, raising a brow. "You never cease to..surprise me."

"You're equally as mysterious to me." Shion admitted, he never really knew what to expect when living with Nezumi. He supposed that was part of the appeal as well, maybe that aspect drew him in. But more than that, he just wanted to live with his long sought after friend from four years ago. "The day you rescued me was still too _coincidental_." he mused.

"Still going on about that, huh?" Nezumi asked, "I bet you like my many 'mysteries' considering you _adore _asking me so many questions to the point that I stop 'playing' 20 questions with Shion." they did after a while end up to become a chore to answer. Somethings Shion asked were easily answered than others, why he insisted on asking every aspect of his life he never understood. They were no longer 'strangers' and that alone had scared him.

"You also like to evade answering my questions." Shion didn't bother trying to 'escape' being pinned beneath Nezumi, he merely stared up at his companion. "Why is that?"

"You scare me." Nezumi admitted, "I lose my cool, Shion because you like to push my buttons. Some days I'm fine with it, others it gets on my every last nerve. You like to get me to do things I never fathomed to do on my own. I've been this way for 16 years and you come into my life, changing everything. You've made me weak, the old me would never be able to accept this- but oddly enough, I don't care. When you rambled on about idealistic nonsense such as 'tearing down the walls' as your third option while I found it utterly ridiculous you..believed it with all your heart." he paused a moment, "And then in the detention facility how you..killed for me. Accepted the killing that you had said was unnecessary it terrified me."

Shion didn't know what to say, he took in all that Nezumi had said but it left him wordless. "I..couldn't control my actions, when I saw you getting hurt..almost killed I couldn't let you go. The one that I had met from my youth, the boy who had climbed through my window and befriended me on that stormy night.. it was me being selfish. I didn't care how much you begged me not to- all I could think was 'I don't want Rat to die.'" he didn't know what else to say. "I'm sorry...If I make you uncomfortable." he looked away.

"I told you, didn't I?" Nezumi made Shion face him, seeing faint tears falling down his cheeks. "Those who have something to protect- always _lose _in the end. Why are you crying now of all times? Do I actually mean _that _much to you?" to be honest, it was touching. "The day that I saved you, wasn't a coincidence Shion. When I learned of what was going on around you I had to act quickly. Getting that car in place took a little more finesse, not to mention taking out those stupid Ministry of Justice guys."

"I wish..that you could have stayed." Shion stared up at Nezumi, "Before I met you...my life had been nothing but a boring shell. You opened my eyes to the ways of the world, and..and..I think.." he was building up to say it, finally. "I think that I...love you."

Nezumi stared at him for a little while, not saying a word. Shion stared up at him, waiting for any sort of reply, his smile had faded and that worried him. Had he upset Nezumi? "I can't help but to think-" Nezumi paused, "If that Safu girl were still around, would you still be here with me, or with her?"

The mention of Safu stung, the lack of answer also hurt. "I'd like to think..that all of us could live together." he admitted, "Safu..was a great friend."

"You said 'love' to me, am I the same status as her?" Nezumi asked, not knowing much else to say. He would respond to his earlier declaration only if Shion said the right response.

"No." Shion shook his head, "You're..different."

"Different how?" Nezumi pressed further, "What if this is just some.. crush you'll get over?"

"It's not like that." Shion insisted, "I don't..I think, that you've been different for me ever since we met."

"Yet you were willing to sleep with Safu in two years." Nezumi frowned lightly.

"She has nothing to do with this!" Shion was shocked at his own outburst, but he was beginning to get annoyed. "I didn't know how I felt. I never realized how different it was for me being with you and with her. Maybe, subconsciously I did. After I met you, and was expelled from Chronus she told me I'd become different."

"We shaped eachothers lives, for better or for worse it seems our fates were entangled." Nezumi nodded, "Then, I'll tell you something interesting." he paused for a brief moment, "I like you, even though you're a brat."

Shion frowned slightly, "That's cheating."

"I don't play fair." Nezumi shrugged, getting off of Shion.

"Neither do I." Shion kissed him, "Mom's waiting." he said before standing up.

"Should I tell her not to expect grandchildren?" Nezumi asked, standing up with a smirk as he passed Shion out the door.

"You wouldn't dare!" Shion's face turned red as he chased after Nezumi.

"Watch me!" he called, glancing over to see Shion's smiling face as they raced to his mother's home.

* * *

A lot shorter than I intended. I went on a HUGE and anti-climactic 'deleting spree' of every story on my roster. Sorry, if this upsets any of you. I hated the quality of a lot of them, and for the most part I found some of them to be lacking in content. This one, I may continue at one point in time but for now it's 'complete'. :3

-Phase 4


End file.
